Method of propulsion by suction and repulsion



July-29, 1930. Y A. DE SPUCHES 1,771,402

METHOD OF PROPULSION BY SUCTION AND REPULSION Filed June 2?. 192a Patented July 29,1930

UNITED STATES ANTONINODE BPUCHES, Oil! PALERMO, ITALY METHOD PBOPU LSIOIT IBY SUCTIOIT AND BEPULSION' Application. and June 21, me, Serial No. 288,761, um Italy m a, 1m.

. The present invention concerns improve ments in those methods of ropulsion applied 'to vehicles wholly or part y immersed into a. fluid, wherein the fluid is sucked in from the 5 part of the bow, and then ejected after havmg run through a conduit which extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

By. the application of the said methods of propulsion through suction and repulsion 01 the fluid it has notbeen hitherto possible, however, to eliminate a serious drawback, which also occurs in the case of propulsion by wheel or by screw, andconsisting in that the part of resistance due to the displacement of l the fluid during motionincreases considerably withthe square offlthe speed, and consequently the force necessary to overcome it increases approximately with the cube of the a speed, so that, when high speeds are attained, a further even slight increase of such speeds requires an enormous increase of the propelling power.

The object of the present invention is to eliminate the said inconvenience by practicall reducing the advancing resistance only to the 'part which depends from the friction of the fluid'against the outer walls of the moving vehicle, and suppressing, on the contrary,

the resistance due to thedisplacement of the.

fluid,lby utilizing the sucking action itself for the elimination of the frontal resistance. In order to obtain this result, the following conditions are indispensable:

1. The fore part of,the ship constituting the tapered bow of the hull should be truncated-and said hull should have-an aperture therethrough equal in area to the remaining cross-sectional area between the hull and said aperture.

2. That starting from said aperture the hull, and, respectively, the immersed part of the same, should continue in a parallel form with constant cross-section, up to the point where the tapered portion of the stern starts v going any lateral displacement.

so that the water flows externally withv '3. That the said 0 ening in the bow by means of a funnel-s aped part, be suitably connected to the longitudinal conduit through which the water must flow and in which is placed the device which produces its circulation. a p i 4. That as soon as the portion of conduit, in which the suction device is placed, has been passed, the water stream be divided in two separate veins by a suitably shaped distributno ing partition, which causes them to flow towards two lateral outlets from whence the discharge is performed.

5.111% at the stern the ship be provided with a; screw, the speed and pitch of which 66, be regulated so as to'produce a positive thrust when; the ship advances with the maximum inally it is necessary that the bow opening be protected by a casing formed of a bow shaped grate, in order to avoid the introduction of foreign bodies, carried by 1 the" arriving current, into the interior of the conduit in whichis placed the suction apparatus. y v v In the accompanying drawing which serves to schematically illustratev the structure of a ship furnished with propelling apparatus according to the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a front view in elevation,in'correspondence with the bow inlet, the grate of the casing being omitted.

v Fig. 2is a top view showing theconduit with the suction screw and the propelling screw.

Fig. 3 is a view in vertical section of the same. l

. As will be seen from the drawings, the immersed portion of the hull 1 has parallel sides and constant cross-section, is truncated 9 at the bow according to line AA, and ends atthe stern with a tapered part 2., which is connected to the rest of the bull in the usual manner.

Above this immersed part extends the dead work 3 designed to emerge completely 'in normal conditlons, and which as awhole presents the shape of an ordinary hull.

'In the truncatedsection the immersed part is completely open, and the aperture has a screw 6, conveniently shaped and-carried by":

shaft 7.

Past the suction device the longitudinal conduit bifurcates in two branches 8', 8", 'into which the water stream 18 introduced by means of ,a distributingpartition 9, con

water issues from apertures 9, 9".

At the stern is arranged a propell ng screw 10, which "could be mounted on a shaft of its own, but it is preferably carried by the same shaft 7which carries the suction screw as shown in the drawing.

At the bow is disposed in front of the inlet of section AA a protectingcage or' grate 11 of iron bars, having as a whole the shape of a a tapered bow portion, the longitudinal as well as the transversal connecting bars being arranged so as to meet the arriving water stream sla'ntwise, thus diminishing the resistance.

After these preliminary remarks it is easy to understand the working of the system.

By turning the suction screw, the water rushes in from the bow, enters the large inlet and accelerating its motion in flowing through the funnel-shaped portion it arrives with its maximum speed in the longitudinal conduit through which it flows discharging from the two lateral apertures.

In order to obtain the best possible effect, namely a minimum resistanceto the advancement, it is necessary that the water enters the great aperture with the same speed relative to the hull with which the hull itself advances in respect to the water in which it is immersed. When this condition is attained the water which comes from the bow flows along the sides of the hull with parallel threads without any resistance of displacement, so that the resistance to the vessels advancement is reduced only to that of the friction of the water on the outer walls of the hull itself.

It is precisely in order to obtainthis' condition that, .together with the fore-opening being as large as the main section, has been arranged the rear propelling screw 10, by means of which it is possible to maintain the speed of the water throughfthe fore-opening equal to the vesselsspeed of advancement. Itis clear that by conveniently regulating cient theisteering of the ship. venientlyshaped so as to prevent "sudden 7 shocks and the formation The two said branches 8', 8" discharge symmetrycally'at the two s des of the vessel where the J the pitch and .the surface of the propelling screw, it will be easy to constantly maintain this result; mounting the propelling screw 10 on the same shaft as the suction screw as shown in the drawing, makes it essential that the propelling screw have a greater pitch than-the suction screw. Moreover, although it is shown in the drawing that the suction .of the water is performed by means of a screw, it is clear that, instead of a screw, a, centrifugal; amp .or: some other suitable apparatus Lastly it will be'understood that if thetwo I .lateral' mouths 9'- and'9" are provided. with bulkheadsfpermitting'the closure of one or the other mouth, they may act in combination with the'i'udder in order to render more em- Claims- 1. A ship propelled by reaction comprising .a' normally submerged .hull having a,- truncated how. a; forward'part of constant cross section followed by a stern portion tapered in the usual way," a longitudinal conduit mounted within the portion of said hullh'aving constant cross section, a funnel shaped piece integral with the forward end of said conduit and the truncated bow of'said hull, a vertical distributing partition at the rear end of said conduit, forming stream line latf eral discharges therefor which open at mid length in the portion of the hull of constant cross section and suction means mounted within said conduit.

p 2. A ship propelled by reaction comprising a normally submerged hull having a truncated how. a forward part of constantcross section followed hv a stern portion tapered in the usual way. a longitudinal conduit mounted within the portion of said hull having constant cross section. a funnel shaped pie e integral with the forward end of said conduit and the truncated how of said hull. a vertical distributing partition at the rear end of said conduit forming stream line lateral discharges therefor which open at mid length in the portion of the hull of constant cross section, suction means mounted within said conduit and a propelling screw mounted on the rear of said hull.

3. A ship propelled by reaction comprising a normally submerged hull having a truncated how. a forward part of constant cross section followed by a stern portion tapered in the usual way, a tapered bow-shaped protecting grate positioned on said truncated how, a longitudinal conduit mounted within the portion of said hull having constant cross section, a funnel shaped piece integral with the forward end of said conduit and the truncate'd'bow of said hull, a vertical distributing partition at the rear end of said conduit forming stream line lateral discharges therefor which open at mid length in the portion of the hull of constant cross section, a rotating shaft coexia-lly mounted within said conduit extending for the whole length of the hull up to the stern carrying a suction screw and a propelling screw at the rear of'said hull also mounted on said rotating shaft.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature at Rome, Italy, this eighth day. of

June, 1928.

ANTONIO nn SPUCHES; 

